BRASILIA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's overall mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal volume hit 177.2 billion reals (about 46.51 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, up 28 percent from the previous year, according to a report released Monday.
The report of the Brazilian Association of Financial and Capital Markets Entities (Anbima) showed that the number of operations last year was 140, down from 143 in 2017.
"The positive results in 2018 were influenced by the greater stability in the macroeconomic scenario," said Dimas Mena, coordinator for Anbima's M&A Subcommittee.
"Greater clarity in the economic environment, related to the approval of the pension reform, should favor the M&A market in 2019," he said. "Companies are preparing for the opportunities that may arise in a potentially more positive outlook."
Mena said that the acquisition of Fibria by paper company Suzano, which hit 47.7 billion reals (about 12.52 billion U.S. dollars), marks the highest amount in the past 10 years.
Most of the deals traded last year were in the paper and pulp sector (26.9 percent), followed by electricity (11.6 percent), information technology and telecommunications (11 percent), industry and commerce (10.2 percent) and food and beverages (9 percent).
